1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to a hydrogen storage material, and particularly to a hydrogen storage material based on a multilayered core/shell structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hydrogen fuel cells have steadily gained acceptance as a mainstream energy source as a result of their environmentally friendly nature and potential for decreasing dependence on foreign oil. Fuel cells can produce large amounts of power without the use of fossil fuels, producing only water as a byproduct. It is hoped that in the near future natural resource guzzlers such as the automobile will run primarily on fuel cells.
Presently, hydrogen can be stored in a rechargeable metal hydride or in a hydride compound that releases hydrogen when reacted with water. Physically, hydrogen can be stored as a compressed gas, a cryogenically cooled liquid, or through surface absorption. The problem with these various storage means as they relate to the automotive industry is that a large tank is required for storing sufficient hydrogen to power a vehicle. This inefficiency has impeded the progress of hydrogen fuel cell use in automobiles.
With the current technology, the compressed hydrogen tank size required for a 1500 kg vehicle with a driving range of 560 km is 340 L at 25 Mpa. This tank stores approximately 6.8 kg of hydrogen. In contrast, a typical gasoline tank for such a vehicle is 70 L. Accordingly, there is a need for a material that can store sufficient compressed hydrogen to power a vehicle without consuming an undue amount of space.
Various hydrogen storage materials and the like are known in the art.